Astronomers have observed a unique, incredibly high-energy particle that has fallen to earth, known as the cosmic ray Amaterasu, which is named after Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess and is among the highest-energy particles ever discovered on earth.
Having an energy that exceeds 240 exa-electron volts (EeV), the Amaterasu particle is only second in history after the Oh-My-God particle, a cosmic ray with an energy of 320 EeV that was observed in 1991 and discovered to be one of the highest energy cosmic rays ever discovered.
Despite the fact that the particle’s origins are unclear, analysts believe they are only capable of producing them in the most extreme celestial events, which is larger than an explosion of a star.
At the time of the particle’s initial identification, Toshihiro Fujii, a professor at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan, was of the opinion that “there must have been a mistake.”
According to him, the level of energy displayed in the city was unprecedented in the past three decades.
This particle appears to emerge out of nowhere, leaving scientists with even more questions than they had before.
There is no evidence that something with a high enough energy was present in the region when the event took place, according to a professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Utah, John Matthews.
A faint sound seemed to originate from the Milky Way’s Local Void, which is a void that surrounds the galaxy to the north and south.
“If you know where they come from in the sky, it should be possible to pinpoint where they come from,” said Prof Matthews.
The Oh-My-God particle and this new particle, however, you can trace their path back to their sources and you find nothing high energy enough to have produced them, in contrast with the Oh-My-God particle.
What the hell is going on here – that’s what’s the real mystery of it all.”
When ultra-high-energy cosmic rays strike the earth’s atmosphere, they typically produce a cascade of secondary particles and electromagnetic radiation that creates a huge air shower, or a huge air shower cascade.
When charged particles in the air shower move quickly through the atmosphere, they result in electromagnetic radiation, which can be detected by sensors that are designed to detect electromagnetic radiation.
There is one such observational system, the Telescope Array observatory in Utah that was responsible for discovering the Amaterasu particle.
In order to understand the origins of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, this particle may prove to be a critical component in opening up new research avenues that could contribute to establishing new theories.
According to experts, it could indicate that there is an unexplained source in the Local Void, a far bigger magnetic deflection than anticipated, or an insufficient understanding of high-energy particle physics that could explain this.
Interestingly, Beltz, who is not associated with the University of Utah, claims he is “spitballing crazy ideas” in an effort to come up with a solution to the puzzle.
As he pointed out earlier, it does not appear that there is one mysterious source behind these events. It seems that they are coming from completely different places in the sky. A defect in the structure of spacetime or the colliding of cosmic strings could be the cause of the phenomenon.
According to him, “there seems to be no conventional explanation as to why this is happening.”
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